


With You In Your Dreams

by FaygoMayhem



Series: Song Of Sleep [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Dream Eater Riku, M/M, Post Kingdom Hearts 3, mostly imagery, music based, only a bare hint of a spoiler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-11-27 15:46:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18196169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaygoMayhem/pseuds/FaygoMayhem
Summary: Sora finds himself lost in a nightmare world born of his own negative emotions. As always, Riku is there to find him.





	With You In Your Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Whoo boy, so I was playing through Dream Drop Distance for the first time a few days ago and fell absolutely in love with The Symphony of Sorcery world. I'm a huge sucker for pretty pictures set to music, so low and behold, this spewed out of my brain. 
> 
> It wouldn't be complete without a soundtrack, which you can find [ here ](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-xaAUh9667S_eON77D_sf3EqH4Vf75vY)
> 
> The songs are all from Vivaldi's Four Seasons Concerto, aside from the last one which people reading should already know. For those familiar with the music, the story starts in the first movement of Autumn, moves into the first movement of Winter, and then into the third movement of Summer ending with a version of 'Dearly Beloved'. 
> 
> For those who would like to read along with the music, the '*' symbol in the text signifies a very different tonal shift in the same song, which occurs at 3:23 in the first video, and the '-' symbol is where the songs change. There is a period of silence between the second and third songs that is not specified. 
> 
> I know this is a bit weird and complicated, but the story can be read just fine without the music; it just helps for full experience. It is set post Kingdom Hearts 3, but doesn't have real spoilers; though there is a hint of something toward the end. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

 

_The Symphony of Sorcery: a world of brilliant color and vibrant song born from magic and emotion. It is a place that that exists only in the Realm of Sleep; where thoughts and feelings take shape, and the songs of our hearts ring out in true clarity._

When Sora opens his eyes, he finds himself in the middle of a small clearing in a forest that stretches infinitely out around him as far as he can see. Leaves of scarlet red, burnt orange, and canary yellow swirl around his feet on delicate gusts of wind and the trees sway gently back and forth, adding to ensemble with each pass. A cheerful melody plays in the background, its notes bright and playful, ringing with the promise of joy and new beginnings.

In the canopy of the trees birds flutter from branch to branch, swooping and diving around each other as they add their voices to the song. Squirrels dart around the forest floor and up and down the trunks of trees in search of food for the coming winter, and leaves can be heard rustling in the distance as a herd of deer make their way home.

Sora smiles to himself, warmed by the patches of sunlight breaking through the treetops to cast the entire picture in a soft golden glow. He starts to walk forward, aimless and entranced by stunning scenery, heart buoyed by the uplifting music that swells and softens as he moves.

He walks until he comes to another clearing where a shadowy figure stands in the center amongst a swirling tornado of multicolored leaves. Piercing yellow eyes fix directly upon him as Sora steps into the clearing, and he instinctively summons his keyblade in preparation for a fight. The figure shakes its head and slowly extends an arm forward, beckoning Sora to come closer. He can’t think of the reason why, but something about this gesture seems….familiar.

He takes a single step forward and the figure turns, running off into the trees.  Sora blinks, confused, before shaking his head and running after it. The figure runs weaving in and out around the trees, always just slightly out of reach, as Sora follows, smiling as the wind whips around him in time with the whimsical music giving background to their chase.

The shadow looks back at him and Sora can feel it smirking confidently.  With flourish it flips forward into a tree and springboards off the trunk, flying forward to do the same off another tree a few feet ahead. Springing off that tree, it flies toward a high branch sticking out along a different tree and catches it with his hand, swinging around it a few times before letting go and flipping backward in the air to land on top of the branch.

Sora watches in awe and then runs forward without thinking to copy the movements. As he swings around the branch he cheers with delight and then releases to launch himself into the air so he can swoop back down to the shadow and tap it on the shoulder. The form is solid, but airy, like he imagines hugging clouds would feel like. The figure leaps off the branch and toward another tree and they resume the chase; leaping, flying, flipping and diving around each other in an almost choreographed dance.

He chases the figure through the trees and across a log laying as a bridge over a small river of water.  The trees thin and the ground gets steeper as they run forward, and soon they’re climbing up small hills and dashing between moss covered rock formations. Sora loses sight of the shadow at the crest of a hill much taller than any of the others. He stops and looks around, but it had apparently vanished. He sighs slumps over, putting his hands on his knees to help catch his breath.

 He hears a soft rustling behind him, then suddenly is pushed forward off edge of the hill. He stumbles, but finds himself sliding upright down the side of the hill almost effortlessly. Laughing and whooping loudly, he bends his knees to slide down even faster and is delighted when he sees the shadow slide into place beside him.

They race down the hill, each gaining just a fraction of lead before the other slides ahead. Sora is so distracted by his opponent that he doesn’t notice a small log laying directly in his path. He yelps as his foot catches on it, sending him rolling down the remainder of the hill and launching into a large pile of leaves waiting at the bottom.

Leaves fly everywhere as he springs back up and out of the pile. He spits out a mouthful of them and looks over to see the shadow next to him bent over and shaking with unheard laughter. Scowling, he gathers up a small pile of leaves in his arms and throws them toward the figure. Its yellow eyes narrow, and before Sora can blink again he’s being tackled back into the pile of leaves.

They roll around playfully, each struggling to gain the upper hand until the shadow locks its legs around Sora and definitively pins him to the ground by his shoulders. He groans in defeat and can almost see the triumphant look on the shadow’s shapeless face as it sits up to leer down at him. Sora flinches as it reaches up toward him, then relaxes as he feels a wispy hand carding through his hair to dislodge a stray leaf.

Looking up at the shadow he is filled with an array of happy, nameless, feelings as the music swells again into a dramatic crescendo.

The figure climbs off of him and helps him off the ground, picking another leaf from his hair before inclining its head and rushing off again into the trees. They chase each other until the trees thin again and give way to the side of a steep cliff face. From the clearing, mountain tops are visible around them, shrouded in fog and stretching far into the distance.  The shadow pauses only for a moment, then leaps off the side of the cliff into the foggy chasm below.

Sora doesn’t hesitate to follow it, diving behind the shadow with a cheer and spreading his arms and legs to the side as he falls. He’s weightless for several seconds, before he’s caught by a passing gust of wind and sent flying back up, joining the shadow again as they hover in mid-air miles above the treetops. The shadow nods at him, then dives down.

They glide on the wind just above the tree tops, circling around and playfully shoving each other over as they fight to take the lead. The landscape below them blurs into a swirling canvas of red, green, orange, brown, and gold as they soar by without a care. The fog gets denser as they approach another clearing, and Sora can hear the sound of rushing water in the distance alongside floaty, serene music.  

He follows the shadow as it dips lower, and soon the two of them are skimming the water atop a wide, flowing river. Sora drops his hand to feel the cool, clear, liquid rush between his fingers and smiles over at the figure gliding gracefully beside him. The shadow shakes its head and splashes water in his direction before dashing toward the river’s end with Sora following behind.

The figure lands on top of a rock at the edge of another cliff where the river slides off the side in a beautiful, cascading, waterfall. Sora touches down beside it and they both pause to marvel at the view a moment. Inching steadily closer, the shadow reaches for his hand and twines their fingers together. Sora looks over and smiles, and the music trills joyfully.

After another moment the figure tugs their joined hands together toward the empty space at the edge of the cliff and Sora nods once. Together they both leap off the cliff, hand-in-hand, Sora laughing all the way down.

*

When they reach the bottom, Sora hovers above the water in the center of a still and peaceful lake. He taps a toe to the surface and the water instantly crystalizes in a small circle around him. The movement of the trees stops completely and the air goes cold, causing him to shiver. The music around him turns slow and melancholy, almost mournful, and he looks around for his shadow.

He spots it floating down from the sky, once again just out of his reach. It, too, touches down upon the water, but instead of solidifying the water begins slowly dragging the shadow down beneath the surface; turning itself black and dangerous. The shadow doesn’t struggle; only holds out its hand toward him once again. Sora desperately reaches for it, but finds himself unable to go beyond the inside of his circle.

The world around them slowly turns to ice as Sora cries out, watching helplessly as the shadow disappears into the water. A single snowflake falls, swirling down before finally landing on his cheek, just below his eye.

Sora looks up and the world suddenly restarts. Snow falls in droves around him and the wind kicks up with great force, sweeping him up off his little circle and carrying him again into the air. He tumbles around wildly in the gust before being thrown out and launched into the distance.

-

 

He wakes again face down on the ground at the bottom of a huge mountain. The sky is dark; and a tense, frantic, melody plays around him. Lightning flashes, briefly illuminating the mouth of a menacing cave carved into the mountain’s base. He looks for the shadow, but can’t see it anywhere. Sora is alone.

A strange screeching comes from the direction of the cave and Sora looks over just in time to catch multiple pairs of gleaming red eyes flashing in his direction. He takes a few steps backward and his keyblade appears once again in his hands as his heart-rate spikes and fear sinks into his nerves.

Thunder rumbles and there’s another flash of lightning as a swarm of black Komory Bats rushes out of the mouth of the cave and straight toward Sora. He raises his keyblade to defend against them and the bats crash into him one after the other with a distinctive clash.

The bats fly off and Sora breaths a small sigh of relief, but they’re back again before he has the chance to defend. He swings wildly as they circle around his head, digging their tiny claws in to  pull at his clothes, hair, and skin until they lift him up off the ground.

He struggles, swinging his hands and kicking his feet, as the bats carry him up the mountain to a small platform near the center. They drop him on the ground and fly off, screeching with glee as Sora picks himself up and takes in his new surroundings. Rain starts to fall, accompanied by more thunder and lightning as the anxiety-inducing music continues unerringly.

Something behind him growls. With a jolt, Sora turns around and is faced with a pack of Keeba Tigers stalking slowly up the mountain toward him. Their cold, menacing, golden eyes glow vividly in the dark and a shiver runs down Sora’s back. Panicked, he takes off running toward the path leading further up the mountain and the growling gets louder as the tigers dash to chase after him.

Jumping over obstacles and dodging out of the way of the pouncing tigers, Sora scales the mountain. He loses some of them off the edge with well-timed rolls and deflecting swings of his keyblade and a few others by sending them diving into large rocks, until only the largest three remain. They corner him on a ledge at the top of the mountain, and he has no choice but to fight.

The three tigers pounce on him at once and Sora rolls under them while they’re in the air. They land in unison and the one in the center slashes its claws forward while the other two flank him from the side. He defends against the slash, countering the attack with one of his own, and manages to roll out of the way of the tiger that pounces to his left. This puts him directly into the path of the one on his right and he cries out in agony as it bites into his shoulder.

Before the others can make an attack, he raises his keyblade into the air and casts a Stop spell to freeze them in their tracks. He turns and uses the opportunity to run back toward the path down the mountain, but a shadowy figure blocks his way.

Sora is hopeful for a moment, but he soon senses that something about this shadow is….different. No longer familiar and playful; this shadow seethes with a sinister aura that has Sora backing away almost instantly. The shadow silently laughs in cruel mockery of their play from before, and snaps its fingers to shatter the spell and free the tigers.

From behind, the three tigers pounce as one and all Sora knows is darkness.

-

When he wakes again, the world is quiet. Nothing but darkness surrounds him, and Sora feels a cold lump of despair settle into his heart. He calls into the abyss, but nothing answers but his own voice echoing back at him.  A spotlight shines down on him, and he looks down at his own hands in confusion before the light moves off of him to illuminate a white, floral shaped pod in the distance. Sora runs toward it, hesitating before placing his hand on its surface.

The pod opens as foreboding music rings out from its center. Inside the pod is a sleeping figure that snaps awake as the petals fall around him and turn black. His eyes burst into angry flames and he rises into the air on an updraft of smoke with his arms spread to the side and head tilted back.

Sora gasps and steps away from the pod, that figure is….him.

Around them the ground shifts and fire shoots from the newly formed cracks. Sora leaps and dodges to avoid it before the ground he stands on gives way, and sends him falling into a pit of lava. His dark twin follows, sprouting wings of flame as he dives into the pit behind him.

Sora lands on a piece of rock, uplifted by the heat waves rolling off the lava below. He summons his keyblade and stares into the menacing fire eyes of the other him, face scrunching in determination. His twin smirks and opens his mouth to shoot forth two giant fireballs that go careening in Sora’s direction. He dodges out of the way of one of them, and guards to deflect the other back toward his assailant.

The twin is pushed back slightly, though is otherwise unaffected by the flame. He floats back above the rock Sora stands on and snaps his fingers to summon several tiny flickers of flame that surround Sora on all sides, then converge into him. He cries out in pain and drops to the ground, frantically slapping his clothes to put out the fire.

When he’s extinguished he gets back onto his feet, keyblade in hand, and leaps into the air to slash at his twin. He lands several hits before falling back to the solid surface below him and lifting his keyblade to cast the strongest ice spell he knows. The twin cries out in anger and folds his wings back to swoop down at Sora and strike him with a shadowy keyblade of his own.

The frenetic music around them screeches and bellows. It echoes off the walls of the fiery pit giving sound to Sora’s desperation as he fights and filling him with dread. He takes another swing, parries another blast, makes another last second dodge, and feels himself grow weaker with every step.

The fight lasts several minutes, and its not long before Sora’s panting with exhaustion, clothes and hair singed in several places. He looks up at the newest fireball being shot toward him and barely has the energy to deflect it. His magic is nearly gone and he’s running out of options. This has to end quickly.

Reaching deep inside his heart, he calls with all his remaining strength. Chains appear from thin air and wrap around his twin, constricting him in their grasp. Sora floats into the air and his heart soars as his hand closes around one half of the handle of a massive keyblade. Beside him, his shadow holds the other half.

They swing the blade in unison to cut through the chains and into the flesh beneath them and his twin is sent flying into the lava around them. Sora lands back on the rock with a heavy sigh, flashing a grin and thumbs up to the shadow beside him. The shadow returns a thumbs up of its own, then stumbles as the rock begins to quake.

With a mighty growl, a figure made entirely of flame surfaces out of the lava, pushing against the rock to launch it upward and back into the abyss.

Sora opens his eyes and he’s back in the forest again. This time the trees are green and everything around him is full to bursting with life. His shadow kneels beside him and helps him to his feet as he looks around. Something is wrong; the angry music is still playing.

His eyes snap to the top of a mountain in the distance, where his twin waits for him to notice. When Sora sees him he winks, then dissolves into an inky, black, lava. His fiery eyes glare out from the tip of the oozing trail of black death that sets everything touches aflame as it starts slowly creeping down the mountain, gaining speed with everything it burns.

Sora wants to run but knows in his heart that there isn’t anywhere to go. Defeated, he falls to his knees and waits for the encroaching wall of flame to overtake him. The lava mass charges toward him, rearing back in tidal wave of loss, grief, and so much anger, before it lurches toward him. 

Sora covers his face with his hands, but the pain doesn’t come. Blinking, he lowers his arm to see his shadow standing protectively in front of him, shielding them both with a bubble of translucent white light. Darkness cascades around them, lapping against the bubble in angry waves that cause it to shimmer, but never crack. He looks up at the shadow with a noise of awe and it turns and smiles back at him. Its eyes are a brilliant aquamarine.

The sphere glows golden with pure light and then shatters.

-

For what he hopes is the last time, Sora opens his eyes. The world is dark, but sparkling in the light of thousands of glittering stars. He looks down and is unsurprised to find himself standing on a cloud floating high above the world. The soft tinkling of his most familiar and cherished melody rings out, growing louder as he turns around, knowing who’s waiting behind him.

Riku smiles, holding out his hand, and Sora ignores it in favor of launching himself around his neck and burying himself into taller boy’s shoulder. He sniffles, hugging him tight to sob in his ear, “You found me.”

Riku wraps his arms around Sora and pets one of his hands through his hair. “Of course I did,” he whispers, “I’ll always come and find you, no matter what crazy stunt you pull to get yourself lost.” Sora laughs, squeezing him again to make sure Riku is really in his arms, Riku squeezes back.

“Why couldn’t I see you? I didn’t know it was you until the end,” Sora pulls away to look at his face and Riku turns his head down.

"I think you might have….forgotten me, at least for a little while,” he explains sadly.

Sora pulls him in for another hug and nuzzles into his shoulder, “I’ve never forgotten you.”

“I know,” Riku pulls away and pokes him in the forehead, smiling, “you couldn’t have called me otherwise. You just got your brain scrambled a little, again.”

Sora sheepishly rubs the back of his neck, “Guess I went in way over my head.”

“You think?” Riku accuses, glaring over at him.

They laugh and Sora looks up at the sky, marveling at the stars as they dim and shine along with the tune of their heart song. Unconsciously, he reaches for Riku’s hand and curls it into his own. “How long do you think we have?”

“Probably not very long. It’s been….quite a while. I’m sorry it took me so long to find you.” Riku gasps as Sora turns in toward him.

“Don’t apologize,” Sora guides the hand he’s holding to his hip and releases it. “Dance with me?”

“Now?” Riku puts his other hand on Sora’s hip as arms wrap again around his neck.

“No better time, this is only place we get to hear it,” Sora looks up to watch as colorful music notes fill the air, the melody growing louder as the two of them join together.

They sway together to the rhythm of their heart song, circling around the cloud and laughing with tears in their eyes at how beautiful and cheesy everything is. As they move Sora’s form begins to shimmer and glow with radiant light.

“Guess time’s up,” Sora sighs, crestfallen.

“We can do it again, for real this time, as long as you hurry back,” they stop moving and Riku kisses his head.

“What if…What if I get lost again?” Sora shakes in his arms, bowing his head as the tears spill over.

Riku wipes the tear from his eye and tilts his chin up, cradling Sora’s face in his hand, “Then I’ll come find you again.”

“Promise?” Sora’s eyes shine as he begins to fade away.

“Always,” Riku smiles and is left holding empty air as the light that was his friend drifts into the sky to become one with the stars. He wipes his own tears away as he watches the lights swirl and sparkle with the colored notes in the air. The dream eater sigil on his back glows as he, too, fades away, “Come back soon, Sora.”

-

Somewhere in the waking world, Sora opens his eyes. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Let's be real here, the only reason I wrote this was as an excuse to have Sora and Riku dance on a cloud to their heart song while rainbow music notes floated around them.
> 
> Plot bunnies are still hard at work after the initial posting of this, and there now may be a DDD style sequel of Riku's side of the events formulating, if anyone would like to see it. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
